Congestive heart failure (CHF) is related to any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. CHF often remains undiagnosed and is associated with an annual mortality of 10%. Patients with heart failure cannot exert themselves because they become short of breath and tired. Often, swelling in the legs and ankles is observed. However, such swelling can be observed in other parts of the body, too. Sometimes, fluid collects in the lungs and interferes with breathing, causing shortness of breath, especially when the patient is lying.
The treatment of CHF focuses on treating the symptoms and signs of CHF and preventing the progression of the disease. Due to that, CHF patients have to perform daily measurements at home of weight, pulse, and blood pressure. Based on these measurements, the progression and health status of the specific patient is evaluated and the medication is adapted accordingly.
Accordingly, monitoring of CHF patients often requires activities at the patient's home which should be performed by the patient himself. Electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements have a long history in personal healthcare as a standard tool for observing the performance of a patient's electrical heart muscle excitation. On the market, small hand-held devices can be found which provide the patients with the possibility of easy ECG measurement at home.
However, the ECG signal, which is the electrical activation of the heart muscle, is not sufficient for an improved diagnosis. There is a clear need for measuring the mechanical actions of the heart. In order to meet this need, from US 2006/0106322 A1 it is known to monitor vital parameters related to CHF diagnosis based on a synchronised measurement of ECG signals and acoustical heart sounds. This technology uses well-known acoustical cardiography to access dyssynchrony of the heart chambers and to have access to additional hemodynamic parameters. However, this method is not suitable for home healthcare since the placement of the acoustical sensors is critical and cannot be done by the patient himself or any other untrained person.